The importance of the Latin American approach in the development of space technological capabilities: A viewpoint from Mexico

摘要

Much has been discussed about initiatives on issues of regional cooperation in Latin America, demonstrating the scope that this could have over the world. In this case, South American cooperation in space matters is now considered as a sui generis phenomenon given the particular field in which it is evolved. However, there is a risk when speaking of technological development, we take it for granted and we usually tend to compare it unfairly with the technological development of totally different countries. Latin America has a great advantage at being a pioneer in the creation of an analytical framework for elucidating the meaning of the term "technological capability"; hence, we have not only a very strong starting point but mainly, an own standpoint. In this regard, two major projects laid the conceptual basis of the literature on learning and accumulation of technological capabilities in developing countries. One of them was the IDB / ECLAC / UNDP Programme for Research in Science and Technology in Latin America, led by Jorge Katz. The second one was the project financed by the World Bank, which was directed by Carl Dahlman and Larry Westphal. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse, at the national level, the space technological capabilities development in Latin America in order to try to give a regional perspective on the overall dynamics and thus understand from how and where we started, and how and where we are going to. A complex process where knowledge plays a key role.